The World of Business

As the global economy slows and the search for new areas of growth becomes more intense, many countries are looking beyond their coastline to the vast, untapped potential of the sea. The “Ocean Economy” is now attracting attention from governments, businesses and investors, not only in traditional industries like fishing and shipbuilding but also in new areas like biotech and robotics. Integration is the watchword and one country, Portugal, is now taking this seriously enough that its government has even established a Ministry of the Sea. For this edition of Global Business Tanya Beckett visits first Lisbon, where the ships they built half a millennium ago sent explorers across the Atlantic and round the Cape to bring home riches from South America, Africa and India; and then Leixoes, an Atlantic Ocean port where a cluster of technology enterprises combines with the local fishing industry and an ocean cruiser terminal in the embodiment of the integrated model that represents the Ocean Economy today. Presenter: Tanya Beckett Producer: Tim Mansel Picture Credit: BBC

There’s more money spent on innovation today than ever before. Yet the process by which we come up with ideas is still poorly understood. If only we had a better grasp of how great ideas are generated, we would have the key to unlock huge new waves of innovation and productivity. Adam Shaw looks at the growing study of innovation to uncover its secrets and looks at what companies and individuals are doing to make them more innovative than ever before. Presenter: Adam Shaw Producer: Smita Patel Editor: Penny Murphy Picture Credit: Getty Images

Five years after Uruguay became the first country to allow the sale of recreational marijuana, what does a legal cannabis industry look like? When the small South American nation of Uruguay made it legal to grow and buy marijuana for fun, an entire industry had to start from scratch. For producers, regulators, investors, and consumers, it was a blank canvas. Now, as Canada and more and more US states follow in Uruguay’s pioneering footsteps, what can others learn from Uruguay’s approach? And as even more US states and other countries legalise the medical use of marijuana, can Uruguay, which also legalised growth for medical use, benefit from being at the vanguard of a new - and potentially huge - global industry. Presenter/Producer: Simon Maybin Picture Credit: BBC

Caroline Bayley reports from Hamburg in Germany on how companies there are preparing for Britain's exit from the European Union. The UK is one of the port city's most important trading partners and one thousand firms in the area have business links with Great Britain. So it's not surprising that there's a flurry of activity in Hamburg in the final weeks before the UK's departure. But how do you plan for Brexit and a new trading scenario which has not yet been finalised? We speak to those who are planning ahead, as well as British workers, concerned about their future status as employees in Germany, and many who simply don't know what to do. Presenter: Caroline Bayley Producer: Beth Sagar-Fenton Picture: St. Pauli-Landungsbrücken, Hamburg, Germany Credit: Getty Creative / iStock / tomch

Hungarian politicians have been the focus of protest since they passed what many have called a “slave law” last December. This legislation allows companies to ask their workers to do more overtime – and to delay payment for up to three years. But the government says the law gives businesses flexibility and employees the freedom to work more and earn more. Many think that this legislation is intended to deal with Hungary’s chronic labour shortage. With an aging population, hard-line immigration policies and many educated young people looking for work overseas, businesses in Hungary struggle to recruit the people they need. Lucy Ash travels to Hungary to hear about the new law and its implications – and find out how businesses are coping with a dwindling workforce. Presenter: Lucy Ash Producer: Josephine Casserly Picture Credit: Laszlo Balogh/Getty Images